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Lightning's Zemgus Girgensons: Leaves Saturday's game
Rotowire
Girgensons (undisclosed) left Saturday's game versus the Hurricanes in the second period, and head coach Jon Cooper didn't have an update on the forward's status after the contest, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Girgensons' status for the Lightning's upcoming road trip, which begins Tuesday in Seattle, is up in the air until an update is provided. The Lightning could dress seven defensemen or put Scott Sabourin in the lineup if Girgensons misses time.
Lightning's Declan Carlile: Expected to miss 4-5 weeks
Rotowire
Carlile (lower body) is expected to miss the next 4-5 weeks, the team announced Saturday.
Carlile has a goal, three points, 23 PIM, 46 hits and 30 blocks in 38 outings in 2025-26. His exit from the lineup coincides with Erik Cernak returning Saturday versus Carolina from an undisclosed injury. Carlile will be in the mix for a third-pairing spot once he's healthy.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Slated to start Saturday
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Vasilevskiy is expected to start at home against Carolina on Saturday, per Erik Erlendsson of LightningInsider.com.
Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of 25 shots en route to a 4-1 win over Detroit on Thursday. He improved to 30-11-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 44 outings this campaign. Carolina is tied for sixth in goals per game with 3.46 this season.
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Lightning's Steve Santini: Recalled from AHL
Rotowire
Santini was called up from AHL Syracuse on Saturday.
Santini was a healthy scratch Thursday and sent down Friday, likely for salary cap management. Santini has one assist in 10 NHL games this season. the 31-year-old veteran has spent most of the season in the AHL, producing six assists in 32 games. The Lightning placed Declan Carlile (undisclosed) on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
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Lightning's Declan Carlile: Moves to IR
Rotowire
Carlile (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, per the NHL media site.
Carlile will miss at least the next three games, starting with Saturday's matchup against Carolina, after landing on the IR list. However, it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. He has chipped in one goal, three points, 29 shots on net, 30 blocked shots and 46 hits across 38 NHL appearances this season.
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Lightning's Nick Paul: Ready to rock
Rotowire
Paul (lower body) was activated off long-term injured reserve and will return to the lineup Saturday versus Carolina, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Paul missed 11 games, dating back to Feb. 1, due to the injury. He is expected to see bottom-six minutes in his return to action. Paul has six goals, six assists and 42 hits over 34 appearances this season.
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Lightning's Conor Geekie: Returned to minors
Rotowire
Geekie was loaned to AHL Syracuse on Saturday.
Geekie has contributed two assists, eight shots on goal, six blocked shots and 31 hits in 11 NHL appearances this season. He also has 14 goals and 51 points in 47 AHL outings during the 2025-26 campaign.
Lightning's Erik Cernak: Expected to return for Saturday
Rotowire
Per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, Cernak (undisclosed) is slated to return to the lineup Saturday against Carolina, according to Tampa Bay assistant coach Rob Zettler.
Cernak has missed the last two games. The 28-year-old blueliner has one goal and seven points across 43 games this season. Declan Carlile (undisclosed) should be the odd-man out Saturday against Carolina.
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Lightning's Nick Paul: Game-time decision for Saturday
Rotowire
Paul (undisclosed) will be a game-time call for Saturday's tilt versus Carolina, per Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site.
Paul practiced without restrictions Friday. He has missed the last 11 games, missing the last six weeks. He should play as a middle-six center upon his return, with Yanni Gourde moving down the depth chart. Paul had six goals and 12 points in 34 games prior to his injury Feb. 1.
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Lightning's Erik Cernak: Game-time call for Saturday
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Cernak (undisclosed) practiced Friday and will be a game-time decision for Saturday's clash versus Carolina, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Cernak has missed the last two games with the injury. He has one goal, six assists, 81 hits, 77 blocked shots and 52 PIM across 43 games this season. Look for Declan Carlile (undisclosed) to be scratched if Cernak is able to play.
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Lightning's Steve Santini: Demoted to AHL
Rotowire
Santini was reassigned to AHL Syracuse on Friday.
Santini was a healthy scratch Thursday after seeing 9:21 of action Tuesday versus Columbus. The defenseman has one assist across 10 NHL appearances this season. Santini had six assists in 32 AHL games before his recall.
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Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Hits 1,100 point plateau in win
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Kucherov put up two assists in a 4-1 win over Detroit on Thursday.
Kucherov has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) during a four-game streak. He reached the 1,100 point plateau with the points; he did it in 863 career games. Kucherov is the 14th player born outside of North America to reach the 1,100-point milestone and the fourth fastest on that list to do it. He's in heady company behind Peter Stastny (793 games), Jari Kurri (824 games) and Jaromir Jagr (825 games).
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Lightning's Brayden Point: Twelve points in last nine games
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Point put up two assists in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Point has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his past nine games, all since the Olympic break. He has 42 points, including 26 assists, and 96 shots in 46 games this season.
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Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy: Entering Brodeur territory
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Vasilevskiy made 24 saves Thursday in a 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
The win was his 30th this season. Vasilevskiy became the second goaltender in NHL history to record nine straight 30-win seasons. The first to do it was Martin Brodeur, who delivered 12 consecutive 30-win seasons from 1995-96 to 2007-08. Vasilevskiy has often been viewed as Brodeur's closest modern counterpart, but he has a long way to go to approach Brodeur's win totals and longevity.
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Lightning's Jake Guentzel: Closing in on another 30-goal year
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Guentzel scored twice Thursday in a 4-1 win over Detroit.
One came on the power play; the other went into an empty net. Guentzel has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last six games (20 shots). He is one goal from his sixth 30-goal campaign. Overall, Guentzel has 69 points (29 goals, 40 points) and 174 shots in 64 games this season.
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Lightning's Gage Goncalves: Three goals in last two games
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Goncalves scored twice Thursday in a 4-1 win over Detroit. He fired five shots.
Both of his goals came in the third period. His second stood as the winner. Goncalves has three goals in two games since his return from injury. He also has six shots, five hits and three blocks in that span. Goncalves has 10 goals and 13 assists in 56 games; both are career marks.
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Lightning's Declan Carlile: Leaves game in third period
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Carlile sustained an undisclosed injury in the third period of Thursday's game versus the Red Wings, Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning's official site reports.
Carlile left the contest late in the game, so it's not surprising that head coach Jon Cooper didn't have a specific update after the contest. If Carlile misses more time beyond this, Steve Santini will likely draw back into the lineup.
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